As Long as I'm With You
by emoeses
Summary: But he was electricity, running through her veins and keeping her alive. [aka Austin and Ally have sex for the first time after prom.]


****disclaimer:** **I do not own nor profit from Austin & Ally. Expect smut, a pinch of cheesiness, and a lot of fluff-y feelings.

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><p><strong>As Long as I'm With You<strong>

by _emoeses_

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><p>He hadn't been able to take his eyes off her the whole night, and she was extremely aware of it. Probably because she hadn't been able to tear her eyes away from him as well. And when their gazes met, whether from across the room or just inches away, she felt her heart swell so much it crushed her lungs, made it hard to breathe.<p>

In a good way. So, so good.

She was so in love with him, so much that it almost scared her, and she realized it as soon as she found him, carrying Piper piggy-back away from the dance floor. She noticed the way he looked at her, how his voice broke a little when he said her name, and she knew, just knew, that he was in love with her as well.

And she also knew they were being idiots, because if they loved each other so much that being separated actually physically hurt, there could never be a reason good enough to keep them apart.

She liked Piper, she adored Gavin, but neither of them was a good reason.

Austin's eyes on her alone felt better than having sex with Gavin had. And not because sex with Gavin wasn't good, but because the connection she had with Austin was just so much deeper. They were bound to each other, in a way that she couldn't quite define, but knew to be powerful enough to become earth-shattering. How else could she explain the electricity that shook her whole body whenever his hand just as much as bumped into hers? The dull agony at the sole idea of separating?

She'd thought they could both settle for less, but now she understood that it would never fully work. Living with longing couldn't be _living_.

She knew, and he knew as well, still she waited. Because she was still technically with Gavin and he was there with Piper, and being in love with him shouldn't equal being a horrible person.

When Gavin showed up, she thought for a second about pretending everything was like it'd been just a few days before, about enjoying one last night with him. Maybe he deserved as much, but somehow it didn't feel right. She broke up with him, and she felt a little guilty about it, but not at all sad.

She'd really liked him, especially at first.

But Austin made her knees buckle and her heart race a mile a minute. But Austin was electricity, running through her veins and keeping her _alive_.

She loved him, and she didn't care if she was being a stubborn teenager, if she was ignoring the consequences, if she was sacrificing their partnership. She had her record deal, an album about to come out, she was gonna spend the summer on tour. Being with him wasn't gonna be a threat to her career anymore, and she _wanted_ to be with him. So bad, more than she'd ever wanted to be with anyone in her life.

She walked back into the gym after saying goodbye to Gavin with her heart a little lighter, and Austin was there waiting for her, almost as if he knew.

Had she been a little less high on prom-fumes, she would've probably waited a little longer. A few weeks, maybe, out of respect for their recent relationships. But he was looking at her in that way that made her feel alive, and she couldn't see the point in waiting even a second longer.

He said everything she wanted to hear, in that sweet, awkward way that she loved, because she knew how much of a big deal it was for him to get nervous, but she made him nervous. Because he liked her, he was in love with her. She told him with her eyes that it was okay, that she was in love with him, too.

He looked at her even more often now, and it knocked even more air out of her lungs,. She spent the rest of the night feeling happily silly whenever he took her hand, blushing whenever he kissed her.

They kissed a lot. Austin leaned towards her whenever their friends weren't paying attention, and she lost count of how many kisses he stole. She only knew she wanted more.

She walked out of the school with him, holding her dress with one hand and his arm with the other. She'd come with her dad, but with Piper gone there was plenty of space for her in the limo. Austin opened the door for her, and slid in right after her. He laced his fingers to hers and kissed her while the others got in.

"Okay you two, cut it with the PDA," warned Trish.

She was taking her shoes off and Ally understoond her crankiness. Her own feet were killing her.

Dez and Carrie took forever, because she was finally changing into something a little more comfortable in the bathroom and he was in charge of guarding the door. As they waited, Austin and Jace started chatting about skateboard stuff, and Trish scooted closer to Ally and pinched her side. They hadn't really had a moment to freak out about the recent developments yet.

"Oh-my-god!" whispered Trish, and Ally blushed.

"I _know_," she answered, pressing a hand against her hot cheek.

"I'm so happy for you!"

"Thanks! And I'm happy for you too!" she smiled, "Looks like we both got to go to prom with the perfect guy, after all."

Their grins almost reached their ears.

"Sorry for the wait, guys!" shouted Dez from outside, while Carrie climbed into the limo.

She was now wearing a bright orange, much more comfortable-looking sundress, that perfectly matched Dez's pants. She looked exhausted, but still very happy.

"There was a really long line at the bathroom," she explained, while Dez took a seat next to her.

In the meantime, Ally snuggled a little closer to Austin, who let her hand go to wrap his arm around her waist. He was warm, and she closed her eyes to drink in the sensation of being close to him. Finally, after over a year of fighting against her own feelings, _finally_ there were no more barriers. She could feel his steady heartbeat under her hand, his shoulders shake when Trish said something funny, his thumb drawing circles on her side. It tickled a little, but she didn't mind.

She was so happy she was afraid her heart might explode.

"So, we're all going to Carrie's like we'd planned?" asked Dez, as soon as the limo pulled out of the school parking lot.

"Actually," says Austin, tensing the slightest. "I think I'm gonna pass. Piper's gonna be there, and I don't—"

"Right," Dez interrupted him with a nod. "Of course, man. It's fine, we can go somewhere else."

"Oh, no! You should totally go, you can just drop me off at my house. It's on the way, anyway."

"Oh, alright. Are you coming, Ally?"

She looked up at Austin, who smiled at her. "It's fine if you wanna go," he told her.

She shook her head, then sent Dez an apologetic smile. "I'm a little tired. Plus, I don't have a change of clothes or anything," she said.

"I'm sure Carrie can lend you something," started Dez, but was cut off when Trish elbowed him hard and not so subtly in the ribs. She answered his confused look with an eye roll.

"Don't worry, Ally. It's fine if you don't want to come," said Carrie in the meantime.

"So we have to drop her off too? Her house is like fifteen minutes out of our way!" complained Dez, still completely oblivious.

"You can just drop us both off at my house," said Austin. "I can give her a ride home."

She smiled at him and he smiled back.

"Aaah!" exclaimed Dez. "Gotcha," he added, winking at his best friend.

Ally felt Austin tense once more, only this time he didn't relax right after, nor in the twenty minute drive to his house. She was starting to get worried, when the limo came to a stop.

"Alright guy, we'll see you tomorrow then!"

"Bye, have fun! And no drunk texting!" said Ally, pointing to Trish with a stern look.

She just rolled her eyes again. "Look who's talking!" she protested.

They laughed, then hugged. "Remember to use a condom," she whispered, just before letting go.

By the time the limo left, Ally's face was still burning. She eventually looked up at Austin, still staring at the back lights of the car getting smaller and smaller towards the end of the road. When he turned to look at her, he was blushing as well.

"Ally, what Dez said—I don't want you to think I was—I mean, it's not like I _haven't_ thought about it, but it's not like I'm expecting anything to happen," he quickly said. "I mean, of course I don't want _nothing_ to happen—what I'm saying is that I don't want you to feel pressured into doing anything. It's totally up to you, okay?"

She couldn't really resist, he was being too darn adorable. She grabbed his shoulders and pulled him down for a heated kiss that left him completely stunned for the first couple of seconds. Only when her tongue darted out to tease his mouth open did he pull her close, both hands firm on her waist as he angled his head to deepen the kiss. He tasted of fruit punch and chips, sweet and salty, and she couldn't imagine ever having enough. She hooked her right arm around his neck while she dipped her left hand into his hair and curled her fingers around the strands, pulling slightly whenever his tongue stroked hers.

When they pulled apart, they were both panting.

"Okay," she said, with a little smile.

She took his hand and lead him to the front door, sneaking a peek at his expression on the way. It was priceless, and it made her feel incredibly hot.

"My parents are out with friends. They should be back around midnight," he told her, while he fumbled with his keys.

She nodded. It was just past eleven, so if she wanted to spend the night, it would be best if she was hidden somewhere in his room by the time his parents came home.

Austin finally got the door open and they walked into the pitch-black hallway. He started kissing her again as soon as she closed the door, pushing her against it and pressing his body to hers. He ran his hands along her sides, still too shy to move to second base right away, but she didn't mind taking things a little slow. She'd have wanted the night to last forever, if she'd ever thought it possible.

He broke the kiss and touched her forehead with his. His hot breath washed over her lips as he gathered the words.

"Are you hungry?" he asked. His voice wasn't louder than a whisper.

Ally shook her head.

"Thirsty?"

She laughed. "I'm fine."

"Are you sure?"

She kissed him instead of answering, covered his hand—still on her hip—with hers and guided it down until it hugged the curve of her ass. She smirked as she inched away from his lips. "Positive," she breathed against his cheek.

Their mouths crashed together one more time as he squeezed her ass and her fingers dug into the skin of his neck. She wanted him closer, to feel his naked skin against hers. To find out if the rest of his body was as warm as his hands, to feel the electricity running in his veins. She wanted to know if it felt anyway like the adrenaline traveling through her own body.

"Wanna go upstairs?" she asked, her voice breathy and shaking ever so slightly.

Austin nodded and took her hand. She found that walking in heels wasn't as easy after a kiss like that. He noticed her stumble and stifled a laugh. "Are you okay?"

"Just a little winded," she smiled, he grinned.

"Yeah, I'm a good kisser," he said.

She blushed and rolled her eyes. "Never not smug, huh?"

"You know me," his thumb stroked the back of her hand and a chill ran through her arm. "Wanna take your shoes off?"

"Yes, I really do," she laughed.

He let her go and she crouched down to undo the straps of her sandals before slipping off them. She sighed in relief as soon as her bare feet touched the cold wooden floor.

"Better?" he asked, amused.

"So much better," she sighed again.

He took her hand again. "Come on."

They climbed up the stairs, butterflies flying in their stomachs, lungs suddenly too tight. He opened the door, turned the light on, she walked in and stopped in the middle of the room.

It felt like the first time they were seeing each other that night. In the light of his bedroom, she could take him all in, and what had happened suddenly felt incredibly real. His hair was ruffled and his lips swollen, his tie out of place, and he looked as if he'd just stepped out of a dream.

He stared at her as well, started from the hem of her dress touching the carpet and slowly made his way up until their eyes met. He smiled.

She smiled back.

He closed the door and stepped closer. She was half expecting another kiss, but he just rested a hand on her waist and touched her hair with the other. She looked up at him and found him looking down on her.

"You are so beautiful," he whispered, moving a strand of hair behind her ear.

She blushed and instinctively looked down. He placed two fingers on her chin and tilted her head up a second later.

"Hey, are you okay?" he asked. There was mild concern in his voice, and it made her feel a little better. It reminded her that he really cared about her.

"Yeah, I'm just...nervous, I guess."

"Have you and Gavin ever...?" he couldn't really finish the question, and winced a little. "And you don't have to give any details."

Ally nodded. "We have. Is that...okay?"

She knew he'd lost his virginity to Kira the year before, and she remembered how much jealousy had stung when she'd found out.

"Yeah—no, it's fine. I mean, we—we weren't together, so..." he stammered, trying to focus his gaze elsewhere.

"Austin, I wanna be with you, okay?"

He nodded, then let her waist go to take her hand and guided her to his bed. They sat down, close enough that their knees touched. He stroked patterns on the back of her hand with his thumb, looking at their intertwined fingers. She didn't know if he was waiting for her to say something. Her teeth dug into her lower lip.

"Are _you_ okay?" she asked, after several seconds of silence.

Austin nodded, still not looking at her. "Yeah, I think so," he said, quietly. "I really, really don't want to mess this up," he admitted, shortly after.

She smiled and nudged his thigh with her knee so he would meet her gaze. When he did, a smile automatically rose to his lips.

"We won't mess it up," she said with certainty. "We can't. It's cosmically impossible."

He stifled a laugh. "What?"

"We had to suffer through enough just to be together. Do you believe in Karma?" she asked.

"I guess," he still looked a tad confused, but she just beamed at him.

"Good. Then believe we've had our share of bad luck already. Nothing bad is gonna happen."

Austin smiled. "If you say so."

"I don't, the _universe_ does."

He laughed. "Well, I'm not gonna start arguing with the universe."

He'd gotten closer, she could feel his breath on her lips. "Wise choice," she whispered, her voice breaking, right before he kissed her.

He felt even warmer than before, and maybe it was because he was blushing as well. She smiled against his lips, scooted closer as her hands roamed over his chest.

His tongue darted into her mouth and chills ran through her spine. Following instinct more than thoughts, she removed his blazer and let it fall on the floor, before tentatively undoing the first buttons of his shirt. Her fingers sneaked under his tie to travel along his collarbone and his breath hitched.

"Your hands are cold," he breathed, just inches away from her lips, their foreheads touching. She giggled.

"Sorry."

They started kissing again, and not after long he hooked one arm under her knees and kept the other firm around her back to move her up the bed, so that she was lying down with her head on the pillows. Then he got up on his knees and kicked his shoes off, before leaning back towards her. Their noses bumped together and she smiled.

"Hi," she said.

"Hi," he answered.

She latched her arms around his neck and brought him back for another kiss. This time, it was her tongue searching his mouth, and hearing his breath getting slightly more ragged every minute excited her more than she could say. She removed his tie as his hands moved up, his thumbs eventually skimming the side of her breasts through her dress before he cupped the left one, not so hard it would hurt her but enough to make her painfully aware of the ache between her thighs. She hooked one leg around his, pushing his pelvis against hers, and almost whimpered at the contact. She felt his fingers dig into her ribcage while his thumb looked for her nipple through the fabric of her dress, and his lips left hers to place hot, open mouthed kisses along the curve of her jaw.

God, it felt too good to be real.

She untuck his shirt from his pants and undid the rest of the buttons before nudging his hands off her to take it off. Her eyes fell on his abs and he smirked, feeling obviously smug.

She rolled her eyes, jokingly exasperated. "Yes, yes. You're good-looking."

He winked, and she placed both hands on his stomach. She could feel his muscles tensing almost immediately.

"Still cold?" she asked.

"Freezing. Are you sure you don't want a sweatshirt or something?"

She didn't feel cold, probably because of the adrenaline pumping through her veins.

"I thought the purpose of this was to get clothes _off,_" she pointed out.

He chuckled. "Not if it means you freezing to death, silly."

"I'm not cold, I swear! You're just too hot!"

He smirked. "Tell me something I _don't_ know."

She grabbed his shoulders with both hands and pulled him down. "Idiot," she mumbled, before he kissed her.

She dipped her hands into his hair again, making an effort out of messing it up just for fun, while his lips traveled down her neck and then up again. He bit her earlobe, and she dug her nails into his scalp.

"Still nervous?" he asked. His breath tickled her ear.

"Not really," she admitted. She didn't know when the knot in her stomach had come undone, but she wasn't that scared anymore. If anything, she felt comfortable. And aroused.

He licked her neck and she tilted her head back into the pillow to give him better access, a moan itching the back of her throat. She ran her hands down his back and snuck them under his pants and boxers, digging her nails into the tight muscles of his ass.

His teeth sunk a little deeper into her neck, and he barely had any time to retaliate before Ally pushed his hips down again, meeting his growing erection with a trust. She smirked when she heard his grunt.

He pressed his lips against the pulse point on her neck and teased her breast again, while his other hand ran along her leg, lifting the chiffon layers until they pooled around her hips. He offered her a devilish smile before he moved back and kissed the tip of her knee. His touch was soft, and her skin felt like it was on fire long after his lips had moved on in their journey up her thigh. When she felt his breath on her sex through the thin fabric of her underwear she whimpered, clutching the comforter with both hands. He hooked two fingers on the waistband of her panties and pulled them down around her ankles. She kicked them aside with a giggle, and Austin resumed his position. He placed both hands on her hips to keep her still, then slowly ran his tongue from her entrance up to her clit. Her toes curled.

He licked her a second time, a third and a fourth, and she'd lost count by the time his tongue dipped into her, causing her breath to hitch. She trusted her hips up against his mouth, and he pressed her down again using his hands.

"_Austin_," his name escaped from her lips, and he took it as a cue to replace his tongue with his index finger, reaching deeper into her and curling it against her walls. Her breath became heavier with every pump.

"Does it feel good?" asked Austin.

"Mhm," was her simple answer. She wasn't sure she knew how to speak anymore.

He smirked and added his middle finger, all the while pressing his tongue against her clit. She was no longer able to gulp down the moans bubbling up her throat and sunk her head down deeper, her toes curling and hands fisting the sheets hard enough to make her knuckles white. She barely noticed that his mouth had left her sex until she felt his lips against her one more, his tongue sliding into her mouth as he swallowed every sound that escaped her. She could taste herself on him and it almost surprised her how arousing it was. He was using his thumb to stimulate her clit now, while his fingers increased their pace, and she was so close, _so_ close.

Pleasure exploded in electrical waves that shook her whole body and woke up every single one of her nerves. Her back arched, breaths and moans got stuck in her throat, and she was no longer able to move her lips against Austin's, to do anything beside thrusting against his hand to ride out her orgasm. He sucked on her neck, not stilling his fingers until she finally relaxed and slumped back against the mattress. She was panting and a thin layer of sweat covered her forehead.

"God," she breathed, and wasn't able to add anything else because Austin kissed her.

It was a sweeter kiss than the previous ones, tongue-less, with his hand on her cheek and his eyelashes tickling her eyelids.

"I really, really, really like you," he whispered when they separated.

She grinned back at him, her cheeks flushed, but before she could reply, the noise of the door opening downstairs startled them apart.

"Fuck, my parents are home," he muttered, then quickly pulled his shirt back on, without worrying about buttoning it. "I'll be right back. Don't move, okay?"

"Okay."

He rushed out and closed the door behind him, leaving Ally to fall back on the pillows with a stupid smile on her face. She couldn't believe she'd just gone to third base with him, even less that she was about to have sex with him.

"Austin! What are you doing home? I thought you were staying at Piper's tonight," she heard his mom say.

"There was a change of plans. Piper and I kinda broke up."

"Oh, I'm sorry sweetie. Do you want to talk about it?"

"No, no. I'm fine, really. Just very tired. I was getting ready for bed, actually."

"Oh, okay. Are you sure you don't need anything?"

"Yep, sure."

"Okay, well your dad and I are actually pretty exhausted ourselves, so if you watch TV keep the volume down, okay? And brush your teeth!"

"I already did. And yeah, I'll keep it down. Goodnight."

"Goodnight."

Ally sat back up just as he opened the door just enough to slip back inside. He offered her an awkward smile.

"Sorry 'bout that," he said, scratching the back of his neck.

She giggled. "It's fine. Did she look suspicious?"

"Not really, why?"

Her eyes traveled down to the pretty visible bulge in his pants and when she looked back up, he was redder than her dress. She hid a laugh behind her hand.

"That's your fault, you know," he mumbled.

"Well, then, how about I take care of it?"

He looked stunned, but she was pretty confident as she got up from the bed and walked up to him, still standing next to the door.

"Ally—"

"Shh."

She turned off the light, then kissed him while she took off his shirt for the second time and let it fall on the floor. Then, without much warning nor hesitation, she unbuckled his belt and undid his pants, pushing them down until they pooled around his ankles. She started kissing his chest, running her tongue over the outline of his abs, coming back up to gently bite one of his nipples. He almost fell back against the door, loudly.

"Don't make noise," she reminded him.

"Are you kidding me?" he whispered back.

She was too busy pulling his boxers down to answer, her tongue circling his belly button. Her hand closed around the base of his erection.

"_Fuck._"

She knew he wasn't at all expecting that she'd take him into her mouth, but anything he could've said remained stuck in his throat when his breath hitched, his hand automatically running to dip into her hair as she started sucking, bobbing her head back and forth.

"_Ally,_" she'd always loved how her name sounded on his lips, but hearing it now, his voice hoarse and breathy as she held her dick in her mouth, _god_, she could come all over again just hearing it over and over.

She knew he was getting close, so she was a little confused when he stopped her.

"What—did I do something wrong?" she asked, as he offered her his hand to help her get back on her feet.

"No! Absolutely nothing wrong," he assured her, and then pulled her up and kissed her. His breath was still hard. He ran his thumb on her cheekbone and smiled at her.

"Then why—?"

He kissed her again, pushing her back towards the bed.

Oh. _Oh._

She grinned against his lips, just before the back of her knees met the edge of the bed.

"One second, I'll get a condom."

She watched him walk to his dresser, butt naked, and suddenly realized she was way overdressed. She swallowed a giggle and pulled down the zipper of her dress to let it fall on the ground. She stepped out of it and nudged it aside with her foot, then looked up at Austin, who'd set the condom on his nightstand and was staring at her with a weird light in her eyes. She blushed, very aware of the fact that even if it was dark, they both were completely naked.

He got closer and touched her arm, his eyes dark and filled with too many emotions to count. There was still a ghost of a smile on his lips, and he looked gorgeous. He made another step, and she had to look up to see his eyes, and her heart was beating so fast, too fast. He touched her lips with his, just barely, and she could still taste herself on him, and she knew he tasted himself on her as well.

She'b been with Gavin and it had been great but this, this was indescribable. This was almost too much, and still she couldn't possibly picture having enough.

Suddenly, she felt scared. She knew that if she ever lost him again, it would destroy her. And she was just seventeen, and too young to be destroyed. Too young to feel a love so desperate.

She kissed him to stop thinking, to stop the tears itching the corner of her eyes. She made herself remember the words she'd told him before.

They couldn't mess this up. They were done messing up.

Austin pushed her onto his bed, holding her face in his hands, kissing her just as urgently as she was kissing him. She could feel his erection against her leg and she needed to be with him completely, to own him and have him own her.

He left her lips to kiss her breasts, lick her nipples, and her chocked moan almost sounded like a sob. His touch was still white-hot against her cooler skin, and she could only focus on that. On his fingers tracing paths along her stomach and thighs while his tongue trailed over her breast. She dug her nails into his shoulders, trying to pull him closer than physically possible, and then pulled him up to kiss him again, their naked chests pressed against each other, her legs rubbing against his.

"Austin, I'm ready," she whispered into his mouth, and he nodded.

He reached for the condom on his nightstand and pulled off her to put it on. She felt cold without his body against her, and she bit her tongue to keep from asking him to hurry, too afraid it was gonna come off as needy and desperate.

He kissed her lips as he spread her legs wider and positioned himself between them. He kissed her jaw as he aligned his tip to her entrance, and her collarbone as he slowly pushed in. She held her breath and he moaned, and for a long second neither of them moved.

"Okay?" he asked. His voice sounded strained.

She nodded and he kissed her just before he started moving. He pulled out slowly and then pushed back in, and she sighed loudly into his mouth. He put one hand on her hip and the other on the side of her breast, so that he could circle her nipple with his thumb, she dug her fingers into the muscles of his back, and soon enough started to meat each and every one of his thrusts.

She had to bite her lip not to cry out loud every time he filled her completely, and he muffled his grunts into her shoulder. Light sweat coated his skin, his breathing irregular, and his fingers holding so hard onto her that it almost hurt. His thrusts were losing rhythm. She knew he was already close.

She pulled his face up to meet hers and kissed him. "It's fine if you let go," she whispered. "I already came earlier, it's fine."

He shook his head and kissed her back fiercely enough to make her head spin. His thrusts became faster and stronger once again, and pleasure started building in her lower stomach.

"_God_," she hissed, and wrapped her legs around his hips.

He went back to kissing her neck, teasing her nipple with one hand and moving the other down to touch her clit. Everything became white for a tenth of a second, before waves of pleasure shook her body once again, even more intensely than they'd had the first time.

She moaned his name over and over, and as soon as his lips left her neck she realized that he was coming as well. They rode out their orgasms together, their movements erratic and unsynchronized, much was the sheer pleasure overtaking their bodies, until he collapsed next to her, panting.

They were both heaving and covered in sweat, both unable to form any coherent thought for a good minute, before Austin pushed her on her side and hugged her from behind, placing kisses on the curve of her shoulder.

"That was—fuck, that was incredible," he whispered.

"Yeah." She smiled, then rolled on her other side so she could face him. "Austin, I—"

"Me too." He kissed her forehead and she closed her eyes. "Me too," he repeated, his voice even lower.

They somehow managed to get under the covers and snuggled close to each other in order to comfortably fit in his narrow bed. They fell asleep in a matter of instants.

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><p>It was the sun that woke her, a few hours later. They were spooning and his hand was completely covering her breast. She smiled a silly, blissful grin and tried to peak at the time. It was probably very early, but she had to get out of there before his parents noticed, anyway, so it was for the best.<p>

She wondered about waking up Austin, but he looked too adorable to be bothered., so she carefully untangled herself from his arm and slipped out of bed. He grumbled something in his sleep and rolled on his stomach. She smiled and reached to get some hair off his forehead.

He was so handsome sometime she doubted if he was even real.

She yawned, grabbed her panties from the floor and pulled them on while staring at her balled up dress. She certainly couldn't go home wearing it and she sighed, looking for alternatives. She picked one of Austin's t-shirts out of his dresser and put it on, then rummaged around his drawers for a bottom. She settled on a pair of basketball trunks and easily slipped into them.

"Where do you think you're going?" asked a groggy voice behind her. She turned to smile at Austin.

"Home?"

"Without saying goodbye? I feel used."

She laughed and literally jumped back on his bed, her knee narrowly missing his thigh, and planted a kiss on his lips. He had morning breath—and she probably did too—but she didn't care.

He wrapped his arms around her torso, pulling her closer.

"Last night was amazing," she told him when they separated.

"It really was," he agreed. "Though I have to say, I feel kinda lame for having fallen asleep right away. I had this whole fantasy of us talking the whole night long."

"Really? You thought about that?" she asked, surprised.

His cheeks turned pink. "Maybe?" She poked his side, he smiled. "Let's just say, I spent many sleepless nights picturing what being with you would be like," he stopped to brush a strand of hair away from her eyes. "But last night was better than any possible daydream."

"Really?" she asked, excited.

"Really."

They kissed again, and maybe she was too high on happiness, but she could swear his lips tasted like sunlight.

"I can't believe we're a couple again," she said, pressing her forehead against his. Up close, she could see faint pillow marks on his cheek, and she brought her fingers up to touch them.

"Does it feel weird?" he asked, his gaze moving from her eyes to her lips.

She thought about it for a moment. Being in his arms, kissing him, sleeping next to him. "Not at all."

He grinned. "It doesn't for me, either."

"I wonder what changed?"

"I guess we did. We're like, more mature now," he rubbed her thigh as he said so, a little proud smile curving his lips.

"And somehow though, we still had to share the bed with a stuffed animal last night," she teased, glancing at Sergeant Bearington, resting next to Austin's pillow.

"Very funny. You act like I don't know about your security blanket."

"I don't! I keep Rosa on my bed for warmth!"

Austin tilted his eyebrows, skeptically. "And yet she has a name."

Ally blushed. "Whatever, stop teasing me!"

"You started it!"

They both laughed, then kissed again for a long while.

"So, Cinderella, do you have to get home right away or can I take you out for some breakfast first?"

Ally smiled. "Breakfast sounds perfect."

"Great, just give me a minute to get dressed."

He pecked her lips one more time before getting out of bed, and Ally watched him fumble with his clothes with the same stupid grin from before.

She thought back to the previous night, to that moment when fear had struck her so suddenly. She thought back of how horrible saying goodbye to him the previous summer had felt, and to how miserable those months without him had been. She knew they were for real this time, and that only meant it would hurt a thousand times worse if she ever lost him again.

He pulled on a pair of boxers and turned to smile at her for a second, and suddenly her heart felt a little lighter.

Maybe the fear wasn't a bad sign. Maybe it was just confirmation that was she was feeling was authentic, that she had something real to lose.

Austin slipped into a pair of sneakers and motioned her to come along.

"So, what do you feel like eating?" he asked, as they climbed down the stairs hand in hand.

"I don't know, I'm fine with whatever."

"How about pancakes?"

She laughed and rolled her eyes.

Maybe it was unrealistic to hope that there wouldn't be any more obstacles, that they could just be together forever with nothing ever coming their way. She knew it was. But she also knew that she wasn't imagining the connection between them, that there was some sort of supernatural pull keeping them gravitating towards one another that had been for the start and only gotten stronger over time. She knew that they could stand against anything, that there was nothing hard enough to break them.

She hid a smile against his shoulder as they walked to his car.

They were Austin and Ally. They would make it.

* * *

><p><strong>an:<strong> I don't have a lot to say about this one-shot, except that I hope the ending wasn't too rushed and too cheesy. I actually wrote two thirds of this in one day, which is very unlike me. Well, I think it came out pretty okay, but please review to let me know what you think!

xx


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